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Come On And Shine...
Why is CR7's head and face always so shiny these days? Does he polish it? It never was this shiny before, I don't think. It has a fantastic glisten. I wonder does he have some rare shiny illness.
Anyway, not really important.
Skell
What A Lovely Stat...
Someone on a podcast said this - but I thought I should pass it on - if Man United win their next match - the top eight teams will have lost the number of matches that correspond to their league position - an unusual and perhaps never before seen moment in football history - they think its all over...
Tim McKane
If The Colour Suits...
In response to Paul Bushell's weirdo pursuit of players who 'have played in the same design home shirt for three or more clubs' may I proffer David Unsworth. He wore claret and blue at each of the following: Aston Villa, West Ham and Burnley. (I'm not actually sure if 'Davo' ever actually felt the Villain's home shirt on his skin before his hasty switch back to Everton but I think it should still count)
Tchuss.
Alex Czopowyj
...In response to Paul Bushnell from Manchester's question about players signing for clubs with similar kits, Rory Delap has taken a similar route to that of Beattie having played for Southampton, Sunderland and Stoke. While on the managers side Joe Royle seemed only able to manage clubs who played in blue strips with Oldham, Everton, Man City (yes I know its sky blue) and Ipswich.
Alan Quinn, Dublin
...Regarding Paul Bushnell's email about players who seem to favour a particular kit (James Beattie in this case)... Well, we (Stoke) already have such a player. The human slingshot himself, Rory Delap, having played for Southampton, Sunderland and now Stoke.
Tim Ward, Sheffield-based Stokie
...Danny Higgingbotham and Rory Delap have each turned out for Southampton, Sunderland and Stoke City. All wear red and white stripes and all have names beginning with 'S' too.
Tim 'Vorderman' Stillman
...In response to Paul Bushnell, Paul Ince wore the red of Man U ,Liverpool and Boro. Then there's David Speedie in the blue of Chelsea, Birmingham and Leicester. Not many examples, now if only Reo-Coker and Harewood signed for Burnley...
Sullay Mannah
...Interesting observation from Paul Bushnell in the mailbox this morning about James Beattie signing for so many clubs that wear stripes, but hardly surprising.
I mean, what would he look like in hoops? Ugh!
Steve Mills
Ooooooh, Someone Doesn't Want To Play...
Please, please can you stop publishing mails from people asking other mailboxers to think of players who conform to increasingly bizarre criteria. Who cares who has played for three or more clubs with the same home shirt design? What a ridiculous thing to ask. I read this the other day: 'Is he the only player who has played Champions League football for three different clubs under the same manager? Any entries for this question??'
What happened to the witty banter and inciteful football analysis?
On another note, can anyone think of a player whose number at four or more different clubs has been a prime number?
Joe, Oxford
Any Journalistic Loyalty?
Regarding the reports of Martin 'Bluto' Samuel's bloated paycheck in Mediawatch, I wondered if anyone actually changed their newspaper loyalty because of a sports journalist moving to a different rag. Is anyone so interested in the views of Paul Hayward (Telegraph to Mail to Guardian), Patrick Barclay (Telegraph to Sunday Times) or the aforementioned Martin Samuel, to actually buy the Guardian instead of the Telegraph or switch from the Times to the Mail? If, as I suspect, they're not actually all that bothered then why are news organisations paying such ridiculous wages to lure them into a move. If the Daily Mail were giving a voucher for a free nosh-off from a big-titted stripper then I'd maybe think about buying it, otherwise no thank you.
Alex (Spurs, Times/Sunday Times)
Players You're Glad You Didn't Get?
Looking at the missing players today, I had completely forgotten that Francis Jeffers played for Charlton. It got me thinking back to when he signed for Arsenal, as a Newcastle fan I was gutted that we didn't get him (as there was speculation linking us to him) and I was rather disappointed to get Craig Bellamy instead.
As it was despite being a little ****, Bellamy was great for us, whilst Jeffers was awful for Arsenal. I was relieved with the outcome, so I was wondering if any other Mailboxers were disappointed to not get a player, only to then find out you were hopelessly wrong to ever want them in the first place?
Rich, London
The Power Of Being Richer Than Rich
Is there anything to stop that sheikh who owns Man City from buying debt ridden Valencia for €1, then selling David Villa to Man City for two bags of peanuts and a mankini and then declaring Valencia bankrupt? just a thought.
Either that or him spending 100m or so on buying the whole Brazilian first division and then sending all good players to Citeh. It's how other industries work....just a thought.
Barry, Wexford
Clever Set-Pieces Please
With all the talk over that corner/goal, I think it's worth mentioning that it's not the first time United have done something inventive around set pieces.
I remember in a match a few years back, United had won a free kick around 25 yards out. Giggs and one other (I think Beckham) were both standing over it and shaping to take it. They both ran up at the same time as if to take it and laughed as they, purposefully, got in each others way in full view of the opposition. They both then turned their back to the ball as if to walk away and set themselves to take it again. Naturally, the opposition's concentration dropped, while Giggs quickly turned back around again and took the free. Memory fails me if they scored from it or not, but it was another clever variation.
Can anyone else think of any examples of clever inventiveness on set pieces?
Dave Dineen
Why It Should Not Be Allowed
A quick word on United's disallowed goal/corner kick last Sunday.
Personally, I'd have disallowed it too, although I'm not quite sure there is a rule against such trickery. If there isn't then there should be. Not because it's against the spirit of the game (James Richardson of Football Weekly likens it to running up to the opposition goalkeeper and shouting "Look out behind you!"), although it may well be that. For me, the reason why this corner kick should be illegal is because it is indefendable, if such a word exists.
Basically, you cannot defend properly against this corner. When Rooney tapped the ball out of the little quadrant, he was covertly passing it to Giggs, and therefore the ball became 'live' unbeknownst to everyone but the United players. Had say, Ashely Cole, somehow caught on to this, it was within his rights to go and collect the ball and hoof it up the field.
However, had he done so, Giggs could have simply said that the corner hadn't been taken yet, and that Rooney was just leaving it for him. When this corner is executed, there is no proof that it has been taken, therefore all of the power is held in the takers' hands. If it works, then they gain a distinct advantage; if it doesn't work, they can just claim that they weren't trying it and proceed to take a normal corner. In other words, it's win-win for the attackers and lose-lose for the defenders. Such a scenario should not be allowed.
Informing the linesman doesn't really come into play, because a) it will most likely ruin the element of surprise unless you do it ultra discreetly, in which case the game of football becomes a battle of espionage antics and thus a joke, and b) there are no linesmen half of the time corner-kicks are taken. Therefore the only sensible thing to do is to ban this type of corner-kick, because there is no way to properly regulate it.
Declan Kelly, Galway
Police Charges Very Badly Timed
How ridiculous can this country get? Five days before Tottenham play Portsmouth, the police decide to charge 8 men (and 3 children !!!) with 'indecent chanting' at a game between Tottenham and Portsmouth. What a joke.
Is it distasteful what they sang? Yes. Is it worthy of them being charged and possibly going to jail? No. Is it distasteful what Sol did? Yes. Is it worthy of him being charged and possibly going to jail? No.
Here's hoping that 33 thousand people all sing together on Sunday. And that they sing whatever they feel like. If the Pompey fans want to get involved in some 'indecent chanting', may I suggest that all travelling fans pick on Redknapp and Defoe for obvious reasons. And Jenas, just for being sh*t.
If the Tottenham fans knew beforehand that they could be charged, they probably wouldn't have sung it. If the entire stadium chanted 'indecently' on Sunday, the authorities will see just how unworkable the whole thing is.
Free speech please. No more nanny state.
Lloyd Stiles, THFC
Not Mind Games, Just Better Footballers
Enough with this absolute rhubarb about mind games! All I hear is that Fergie's the king of this and that, Rafa's lost the plot, and Liverpool are now faltering in the title race etc. etc...BOLL**KS!
Stop w***ing over the red-nosed cretin and get some perspective. Whether Benitez is feeling the pressure is a side issue as far as I'm concerned, this should have zero effect on the players. Liverpool were sh*t on saturday, and that is it! Nothing whatsoever to do with that idiot winding Benitez, They just didn't play very well, it does happen occasionally believe it or not.
I do actually believe that when all is said and done Utd will win the title again this year and equal Liverpools record. Bit of a bummer, but what will annoy me most is the thought of hearing these smug fans claiming that master Ferguson has won the battle of the 'mind games' again!
Get real for f***'s sake, Liverpool just aren't as good.
Dan Benvenuto
Nothing Convincing About Stoke
I just have to quickly disagree with 'Oz from Liverpool' and his assertion that Stoke 'convincingly' beat Aston Villa earlier this season...from what I remember Stoke won the game 3-2 with a scrappy injury-time goal by Mamady Sidibe (from a Rory Delap throw-in obviously) Their first goal came from a highly debatable penalty, less that a minute after Villa themselves had been denied an arguably even clearer penalty at the other end. If that qualifies as 'convincing' then Villa themselves have been pretty convincing of late (injury-time equaliser vs Arsenal and late winning goals against West Ham, Hull and Gillingham, not too mention three consecutive own goal winners in the last three games...)
David Horgan, AVFC
...A point that I think need making -
Losing to or drawing with Stoke does not mean that Stoke cheated by either a) cheating by time wasting at throw ins, b) played in the wrong spirit of the game. It means you were s**t.
Lee Marshall
A Bolton Fan Slagging Off Arsenal Atmosphere? The Nerve!
In respect of Joe BWFC comments about ending up with 'stadiums of fans all sitting quietly and politely applauding occasionally (i.e. The Emirates)'.
Much as I appreciate that the ground can lack a bit of atmosphere at times, there has been many a game there where the atmosphere has been electric. This can be said for a number of grounds in the Premiership but in the same old tedious manner, yet another armchair fan jumps on the 'no atmosphere = The Emirates' bandwagon.
Now, I really wouldn't have bothered responding to this half-wit but, having been at the game on Saturday and having listened to what the travelling Bolton fans had to deliver that afternoon...i.e. absolutely nothing (did they actually bring any fans to the game ?) I feel I need to tell him to 'listen' to the lack of passion amongst his own lot before slagging off other crowds.
As for polite applause, believe me there was definitely none of that for a Bolton side who actually started wasting time 30 seconds into the game and had players rolling around injured for over five minutes after breaking their toe nails...now Davies, that was truly embarrassing !
Chris Wrightson
Silly Charlie
'Is there anything to prevent us loaning the likes of Robbie Keane to Hull City for that game to bolster their attack?', asks Charlie in Birmingham. The answer is yes, there is something to prevent it: common sense. Marlon King has scored more than Robbie Keane. By taking him on loan, they'd be handicapping themselves.
Thayden
...Charlie from Birmingham - If you needed to scupper United's title bid on the last day of the season, you would be better sending Robbie Keane to United themselves, to really blunt the attack. Or alternatively, send us Jamie Carragher (he's always good for an own goal or two).
But to answer your question, the transfer window should prevent that happening...I think they must have brought it in this season to prevent that sort of thing from going on.
Johnny (Still Cheering Terry since Sunday), Belfast
